Hard-working young leaders find innovative ways to relax at work

BENGALURU: Iguanas, dinosaurs, detailed foliage...all of this and more find pride of place in the doodles of Srivatsan Chari, cofounder of ClearTax, who spends his free time at work drawing on paper, tables, his own hand...anything that can serve as a canvas. "Spending about 12 hours at work, then going home to take calls can be quite hectic. I give free rein to my visual passions during the day, which helps me manage stress levels," said Chari, who set up the income tax returns e-filing website in 2011along with Archit Gupta. At Pune-based talent assessment and analytics startup Jombay, cofounder Mohit Gundecha can often be seen taking long strolls along the office terrace. These walks in the middle of the work day, he said, help him relax amidst the hustle and bustle. Chari and Gundecha are part of a new breed of young leaders who wear the tag of workaholic on their sleeves with pride. Completely accepting that running a startup isn't a piece of cake and moments of relaxation can be few and far between, they prefer to incorporate them into daily work schedules. There are more like them at India's new-age companies — those who are perfectly happy working for more than 14 hours a day and, along the way, finding innovative means to switch off if only for short bursts of time. Take the case of Archit Gupta, CEO of ClearTax, who hasn't been on a proper holiday since November 2014. For him 14-hour days are the norm, but he's not complaining. "Work changes every day, so at no point does it feel like a drag," he said. "People like us must take our enjoyment as and when we can." That's exactly what Ankita Tandon, COO at coupons website CouponDunia, does. She last took a proper vacation almost two years ago, but has no regrets. "Things move at a very rapid pace in a startup and if you're a key decision maker, unavailability over phone and email will lead to team paralysis which is not something a young company can afford," she said. A few days every week without fail, Tandon heads to a nearby Starbucks, sits with a cup of coffee, and catches up on her reading. These solitary 45-minute sessions, she said, are dedicated to looking at blogs and news articles. Starbucks is also the venue of choice for Gaurav Hinduja, cofounder of Capital Float, an online lending platform for startups and small businesses. Occasional FaceTime sessions with his one-year old daughter, done quickly in between work tasks, help him take a break during his hectic day. And when Harsh Jain, CEO of interior design startup Nestopia, is at work, he uses deep-breathing exercises and meditation app Headspace to relax, especially before and after hightension work like fundraising meetings. Breathing exercises are a technique also favoured by Sumit Chhazed, cofounder of CredR, an online marketplace for used vehicles. Sidharth Gupta, cofounder of budget hotel chain Treebo Hotels, likes to get in some stretching exercises in between assignments. "Not only is stretching a great release mechanism, it's also a great way to incorporate some physical exercise into my schedule," he said. For many, the pressures of profitability, growth, raising funds, and dealing with competition may be daunting, but not for these young leaders who have mastered the skill of switching on and off as the context demands it. "When you love your work, your work is your life. Entrepreneurs don't have the luxury of a work-life balance; for us the two are synonymous, and family support plays a huge role in dealing with that," said Jombay's Gundecha. For early-stage startups like Treebo, long hours and additional effort are the norm. "Yes, I work 14-15 hours a day but much of that is away from my desk — meeting hotel partners, interviewing people for multiple openings and development chats with team-members," said company cofounder Gupta. Jappreet Sethi, HR consulting strategist and CEO of startup consulting firm Idea Katalyst, said that Japan has already demonstrated that the culture of having a nap-time during work hours is effective towards building overall productivity, and now startups in India are creating their own niche when it comes to interesting ways to switch off. "Even American companies like Google, Facebook and Apple have built play-spaces into their office. Scientific research shows that the human mind needs a break from concentration every 60 minutes or so," he said. Ray Titus, expert on consumerism and lifestyle, and professor at Alliance School of Business, however, warns that burnout may be imminent. "Many young Indians are pursuing the path of entrepreneurship in a bid to achieve something that's completely their own. Often, though, one observes that they cannot delink from their startups, and become emotionally and psychologically wrapped up in their work," Titus said. "Young leaders of today need to be able to be objective about the lifestyle they lead, take care of their health, eat right and get enough exercise and relaxation so as to not face major health issues later," he said. Titus recommends professional managers, life coaches, and mentors who can help young CEOs and founders better deal with social relationships, emotional intelligence and physiological wellbeing. "A setback in one's startup isn't a personal failure. Short breaks at work can be beneficial, but sustained efforts at relaxation will protect workaholics from a variety of health and lifestyle-related disorders," he said.

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